Take Me Away
by The Queen of Alchemy
Summary: Their relationship was just a lie, or so she thought. Unaware of what she really meant to him, when she was faced with her mistakes, she ran, and unknowingly, took his heart with her. ShihoxYzak implied DxM AxC LxK MxM ShxL. Right after Destiny. Complete.
1. Prologue

**~TAKE ME AWAY~**

***Post Destiny. As in, JUST after it. Yzak, Dearka, and Shiho are nineteen.***

**PROLOGUE**

_I cannot find a way to describe it._

_It's there, inside, all I do is hide._

_I wish that it would just go away._

_What would, you do, you do if you knew?_

_What would you do?_

Somehow, she thought, he would love her. Even though their relationship had begun as seemingly just a mutually beneficial agreement, she had deluded herself that he loved her, maybe at some point or other. He had always loved her, truth to say. But she had never known. And he himself believed the same of her. He believed his love was unrequited. But he took it anyway, because if it meant just one more night with her, it was worth it.

It began on the Voltaire. They were both working late. Things went too far, and he kept coming back for more, and their relationship remained a secret. Even from Dearka. Nobody knew.

It was with this is in mind as she tried to force her eyes open, because of the taunting memories that played themselves over and over when she closed her eyes. _He doesn't love you. You were just a peripheral, insignificant, and unremarkable. Not important. _And maybe that's what hurt the most.

_All the pain, I finally knew,_

_All my thoughts lead back to you._

_Backed away, it's never the same,_

_Back and forth, inside my head,_

_I can't handle this confusion,_

_I'm unable_

_Come and take me away._

And to add insult to injury, she was sure he wouldn't care. He had other things that were more important than her, maybe even a fiancée for all she knew. But then again, she always felt like she knew absolutely nothing. What help was knowing nothing now? What help was graduating top of her class at a military academy in this situation, and what help was it for trying to make decisions that affected her personal life? Here, she was alone.

_I feel, like I, I'm all alone,_

_All by, myself, I need to get around this._

She had told him a few days ago that she wanted their secret liason to end. She swallowed her true feelings and tried to make him hate her, all the while wishing she could die. Telling him the truth would just ruin his life. She loved him enough to give him that chance.

_My words, are cold. _

_I don't want them to hurt you. _

_If I show you, I don't think you'd understand. _

_'Cause no one understands._

She forced her amethyst eyes open and regarded the flat, rectangular piece of white plastic on her palm. Her gaze traced over the small blue X, and she closed her fist over it. No one would know, and now that there was no war to be fought, she could leave the military and start over, start over where nobody knew her. And even if she couldn't have Yzak, Shiho would at least have something of him that he could not take from her.


	2. If You Knew

**TAKE ME AWAY**

**IF YOU KNEW**

_If you knew. _What did she mean? _If you knew...I don't think you'd understand. It's better if we just...didn't see each other any more. I'm leaving the military. Family...reasons. _Her words had cut right through him. If _she _knew, would she have still left? Probably. She deserved much more than him. And what right did he have to hold her back? No right. None.

Dearka wasn't making things any better, well, he didn't actually _know _that his best friend's heart had been stolen by a certain young brunette who had run off with it and never bothered giving it back, did he? Not that Yzak was trying to over-specify, mind you.

"Yzak, you've been moping for how long now? A week? Get over yourself. And why are you even upset?" Yzak considered satisfying his sudden urge to strangle Dearka, but then again, there was all the paperwork he'd have to deal with later, so he pushed it away.

He pushed himself out of the cockpit of his machine. Since the Second war, most of the battleships were assigned on clearing the area of shrapnel. A hideously long, boring, and unfortunately, necessary job. Shiho had defected for "family reasons". Maybe someone related to her had died when NEO GENESIS had hit one of the PLANTs, but...

Damn it. He was doing it again. He was sidetracking just to think about _her_. Which helped his focus in no way.

"Come on, man, how long are you going to sit there updating an operating system when it's not even your shift? You are such a nerd," Dearka complained as Yzak battled the zero gravity of the hangar.

Yzak glared at his blonde subordinate.

"Ah, it's _that _time of the month again, eh buddy?" Dearka grinned. Riling Yzak up was one of the few perks of his job.

He dodged Yzak's fist as the silver-haired coordinator landed on the hangar's catwalk.

"No need to get violent. What's up with you?" Dearka asked light-heartedly as he floated along, trying to keep up with the fuming Yzak, who had already started heading for the bridge.

"None of your business."

"I have to tell the new volunteer soldiers something scary about you, so what'll it be this time?" Dearka joked. "You practice at the shooting range with them as targets? You - "

"SHUT UP!!! This is not the time. Might I remind you that you are still a subordinate and I can have you demoted any time I want!" Yzak retorted, not even glancing at Dearka, who ignored the threat. He was used to dealing with death threats and such that occurred so frequently, they were virtually meaningless now.

"Wait...don't tell me...it's on the tip of my tongue!"

"I won't even bother," Yzak said disinterestedly, as they floated past a star window. The whole galaxy started to look boring when you'd been stuck on a warship a few weeks.

"It's Shiho! You know, that brunette chick with the permanent poker face! I knew you had a heart somewhere!" Dearka exclaimed triumphantly.

Yzak was caught off guard. "No! And she did not have a 'permanent poker face', whatever the hell that is."

"DENIAL! She's practically a doormat for as long as you've been in command, now she's gone and - "

"How does kitchen duty sound?" Yzak gritted his teeth.

"She did have a nice body though, did you see when ZAFT issued those new pilot suits, I mean, really - "

"What if I just put you on latrine duty?"

"It would not stop my persistence. But hey, if you suddenly decided you were human too, I'm glad I was here to witness it, and at least you had good taste."

"One word: Miriallia. So shut up about Shiho."

"And Miri's not here. And we broke up. Hey, you always told me I should let her go."

"No, _she_ _dumped_ _you,_" Yzak corrected. "And can't you just go screw some random subordinate?!"

"You kill my buzz so frequently," Dearka sighed. "Wait, shouldn't I be nagging you about - "

"Stop. Just stop."

Dearka grinned. "Fine, but just so you know, the rest of the crew _might _hear about it - "

"And if they do, you _will _be put on some hideously menial, boring task."

Dearka smirked again. Nothing was said about an email spammed out to the entire ship...

The hideously menial, boring task would be a small price to pay, Dearka decided. Totally worth it.

oOoOoOo

She put on civilian clothing for the first time in months. It was supposedly 'summer' on October 8, and she felt slightly disconcerted as the tug of her ZAFT uniform was replaced with the easy, lighter, denim shorts and cotton brush of a tank top. It felt...not unpleasant, but slightly odd...like seeing a teacher in the grocery store when you didn't even think they had lives. Just strange and unfamiliar.

She was living with her sister, Kate, who was almost three years older than Shiho. Kate worked with the military as well, but she handled the programming of ZAFT's military weapons. She'd asked her sister to drive her to the hospital that day...

Shiho tapped her foot nervously on the hard blue linoleum tiles of the waiting room. She glanced across the room, and almost immediately looked away. It honest to the Universe, like a scene out of a pamphlet on pregnancy. And she was extremely justified in saying that. There was a large amount of those spread out over the coffee table about two meters away. The blue haired mother had her hands folded over her stomach, her right hand pressing that of a brunette man's to the side. She turned her head, nauseated.

She could never have that.

"Shiho Hahnenfuss?" the purple haired secretary enquired. She stood. "Dr Halberton will see you in a moment."

She nodded and sat down, left again to her thoughts.

_If you knew, would I be here alone?_


	3. Slipped Away

**~TAKE ME AWAY~**

***Thank you Avril Lavigne for the song inspiration. And yes, this is a shorter chapter, but Yzak needs some development too.***

**SLIPPED AWAY**

She was impossible to forget. Damn, he'd tried, what, a few thousand times now? It had been two weeks? He'd tried everything. Everything, from threatening himself, to throwing himself into mechanical work, and even trying to force himself to think she never existed; but she was proving impossible to erase. And maybe it was also partially because he did not _want _her erased. He wanted her to stay, forever.

Perhaps she was impossible to forget because she had _never_ demanded to be remembered; and it had been all his fault. She never _asked_ him if he loved her, and she'd never said it herself. That was the problem, maybe if he'd said the three words before...maybe...it could have been different. As much as he wished he had told her, there was no way. She might as well have slipped off the face of both the PLANTs and Earth. He might never know what had become of her. And that simple fear scared him worse than any threat of war.

She never said goodbye directly. And every tiny, painful detail of that conversation had remained fresh in his mind. Throughout every single day since she had left, he had almost succeeded in putting her out of his head, only to find that when he found himself surrounded by darkness, (save for the thin line of orange light that insistently slipped under the pneumatic doors.), every damn memory of _her _flooded his vision. And it always felt like a new injury every time. Didn't pain eventually fade? Hell, he would know, he'd had his face sliced open before, and that had healed, but that kind of sting paled in comparison to what he felt now.

And now? She was gone. All he had left were just a few memories that failed failed to fully capture what she _really _was. How did you capture that kind of beauty? You could take a picture of Lacus Clyne, but it would never measure up to the simple _concept_ being in the same damn _vicinity _as Shiho Hahnenfuss.

Had he remembered? In some ways, yes, he had. The thick, dark tail of hair that fell past her shoulders and yet stopped there to rest when she'd stepped out of the shower. The inexplicable way she seemed tailor made to fit. He couldn't quite explain it. The gentle arc of her spine under his fingers. The way it amazed him that although his hands were calloused from war, her's had still remained as soft as if her tapered fingers had never pulled a trigger. The violet eyes that could switch from calm and soothing to absolutely frigid in a matter of seconds. Everything. Every damn thing.

He could never exactly explain _who_ she was. He knew, but he had no words. How could you ever find time to explain _everything_ you loved about someone? How could you form the sentences? Explain the furious succession of blinking to hold back tears that even he had never seen fall? Wondering if it was your fault? Explain the shadow that left his room in the early hours of the morning, and the sense of loss it left behind? Explain the rapid change of her facial expression? The way it had made him feel when he woke up before her and in her sleep, she had reached for his hand and intertwined her fingers with his?

He wished he had told her that it was not just a lie. Even if it would mean she did not feel the same? Had he been too much of a coward? Had he been too afraid for his pride? Well, damn his pride, what good was it now? What purpose did it serve now?

He wished that his thoughts could somehow bring her back. But at the same time, he _didn't_ want her back. He was happy that she could not endanger herself any longer. At least for the moment. The PLANTs and Earth were still slightly hostile. There was always the slight chance of another conflict breaking out. Yes. Maybe it was better she wasn't fighting any more, but maybe she might come back...

Maybe he would never see her again, and maybe that was both painful for him and better for _her, _but he would never allow himself to be the reason _she_ would be the one in pain. If anything, he wanted to be what stood between her and a war. The sacrifice would not even need thinking over.

Conflicted; that was the word; the one word that would describe the thoughts that whirled around his head. But it all came down to one thing he wished he could tell her; all temperamental, unfeeling, inch of him.

_I miss you._


	4. The Tough Stuff

**~TAKE ME AWAY~**

***If you can story alert I'm pretty sure you can review.***

**THE TOUGH STUFF  
**

A piercing shriek. Fearful and confused. Shiho Hahnenfuss would not have known that she had made that terrified sound had she not subconsciously just_ known_ it. The sharp pain had allowed her to feel nothing else.

Hurried footsteps, clicking on the linoleum floor rapidly. A question. On some level, she knew what it was and answered.

She was not aware of time. Every surge of pain seemed to be the only thing that indicated any time had passed. Every contraction made her remember _him. _

"Son of a bitch," she gasped. Yet another spasm of pain. For crying out loud in agony, would this never end? Six hours, and this was apparently the _minimum _time? How could you love someone and hate them? She knew, now more than ever.

"Yeah, I kind of thought the same."

"Oh, you don't know the half of it," Shiho said through gritted teeth.

"Care to elaborate?" Kate asked, her eyebrows raised. The older Hahnenfuss sister was almost a mirror image of the younger. They had lost their parents that year when NEO GENESIS was fired, and whereas this was reason to be depressed, Shiho was partially grateful, in some strange way, that she would not have been forced to face them. She was never all that close to them.

"Do I need to?"

"Not particularly. But hey, you need me to trace him so you can rip him up? I have access to a huge database," Kate continued, only half jokingly. That was Kate. Cynical, playful, and the type to burst out laughing when Shiho had told her that she was pregnant. Namely because "I never in the wildest imagination that I possess, actually imagined _you_, of all people to come home with _that_ kind of news. I'm shocked, you actually beat me to it. And more importantly, I want to know if I get a niece or a nephew that I can tell embarrassing stories about 'mommy' to."

"Nope. I'm a little busy," Shiho said sarcastically.

It seemed to be nothing more than another day. Yzak Joule was running for a position on the Council, and judging by his popularity among the PLANTs citizens, he was likely to win. Chairwoman Lacus Clyne had been in her position for six months now, and so far, had proved herself more than capable of handling her position. As for the others, Dearka and Miriallia had gotten back together. Again. Kira Yamato had been enlisted as Lacus Clyne's personal bodyguard. Athrun Zala had, as far as anyone had last heard, was babysitting the ORB princess. Well, she was technically not the princess, but in Yzak's opinion, this bodyguard thing was really being overused.

Yzak sighed. He paused in his rapid typing. Struck by a sudden urge, he opened the file archive of all ZAFT enlistees. He narrowed the search down to CE 70 enlistees, Red Coat graduates. There it was, five down from the first. The link to_ her_ archive profile. The small 100x100 pixel thumbnail picture. Closing his eyes, he slammed his laptop closed.

"Random thought, but you still haven't told me who 'he' is," Kate commented lightly as Shiho glared ferociously at the ceiling.

"Don't intend to. That part of my life is over."

"Aw, you kill me with your information-withholding," Kate whined playfully. "You know I love gossip."

"Precisely why I'd rather not say," Shiho said.

"Was he cute?"

"Shut up."

"Pretty boy?"

"Shut up."

"Oh come on! I wanna know if she's going to be pretty!" Kate moaned. She had a knack for annoying people until they told her what she wanted to know.

"Probably, as long as she looks absolutely nothing like me."

"That's just insulting. To you, and to me," Kate snickered. "So you at least scored nicely."

"Do you enjoy watching me in pain or something?" Shiho asked, attempting to re-direct the topic. "Besides, I don't know if it's worth it."

"Nope. I just like riling you up so you have something else to think about. What are big sisters for? Also; I get a niece out of the deal, which is great, seeing as my boyfriend is sterile."

"Do you want me to answer tha - HELL! WHY AM I DOING THIS?!" Shiho shrieked as the contractions drastically worsened.

"Because deep down, you're a good person, and you view life as sacred," Kate said imitating a pedantic tone used by kindergarten teachers. "Also there's no such thing as backing out of childbirth."

"Have you been watching Oprah or something?!"

"No," Kate denied. "It's called _daytime soap operas._"

"It's still annoying. Please; do me a favour and don't have kids."

"Excuse me, but the constant struggle between Darren and Serena to overcome their hatred to realise they're soul mates really draws you in! And heck; if watching you puke your guts out at two in the morning six months ago, and watching, well,_ this_, doesn't convince me to stick with Justin, I don't know what will."

"No comment."

"And for the first time EVER, Oh Em Gee, Brad and Tanya kissed after four years of separation and a long distance relationship last night!" Kate continued randomly.

"And then I STILL don't care. How on PLANT do you keep up two separate conversation topics at once?"

"Ouch, that hurts," Kate exclaimed, hands over her heart. "It's a talent, by the way." Shiho raised an eyebrow.

"The midwife says half an hour before I can even start the grunt work, so please, I'd appreciate some intelligent conversation before I die."

"You aren't gonna die."

"Says you, the skinny, flat-bellied person sitting there watching me writhe in pain."


	5. All the Rest

**~TAKE ME AWAY~**

***I'm not the type to hold chapters for ransom. But I'd love to know what you guys think, because I can't improve my writing without feedback.***

**ALL THE REST**

Shiho had never seen the concept of motherhood as being particularly glamorous. Now she realised that her assumption was entirely accurate. Not only was the nine hour labour the hardest thing she had ever done, it would have sent her heading for the hills had she been able to run.

More than anything else, knowing that she wanted to sleep, and yet, at the same time, wanted to see _her _baby. Before she could finish battling her conscious, sleep claimed her.

oOoOoOo

Yzak ground his teeth. He felt frustrated and furious, and considering the huge amount of paperwork, that was justified. However, he subconsciously knew that wasn't the reason.

Maybe it was the fact that Dearka had changed his ring tone to some mindless pop song. Then hid the phone in the pot plant in Yzak's office, then prank called him in the middle of a briefing session. It had taken the fuming silver haired coordinator a full minute to find, while a group of ten subordinates watched and tried to hold back snickering.

Let's just say that by the time Yzak found the cellphone and crushed it in his anger, the song had earned Dearka a broken arm.

oOoOoOo

_Dear Diary,_

_I'm so happy. Kira finally managed to fix Mr Pink! Mr Pink was feeling awfully strange recently. Not quite like himself, you know? I would have normally asked Athrun, mechanics are more his forte, but he's in Orb right now. Miss Cagalli certainly seems to be managing in her position very well. I can only hope I can do half as well! The people of the PLANTs have been so supportive. I'm also happy for another reason, diary. The October 8 hospital sent in a report. There was a non-matched baby born today! That means that it's parents couldn't possibly have had complimenting DNA. That's what the arranged marriage system is all about. I'm trying to end that. It makes me sad to know that so many young people are having their futures signed away. I know how I feel about Kira. This might be valid evidence for the bill I'm trying to post, because I want arranged marriages to end. I realise that there have been problems around population numbers, but there has to be another way._

_Lacus xxx_

Chairwoman Lacus Clyne looked up from her fluffy pink diary, and smiling to herself, she placed her pink gel pen back in the pencil pot with painted, uncooked macaroni glued to it. The orphans had made it for her. Lacus had been forced to leave them behind with Cagalli and Athrun, who she knew would take good care of them, albeit with help from Myrna. She still missed them all very much, and visited whenever she could.

She slipped the diary in her bottom desk drawer and smiled again. Things were getting better.

Miriallia Haw felt bored. She had moved to the PLANTs for Dearka, and most of the time, she was left alone. Not her preferred style of living at all. She was having lunch with Lacus this afternoon, so at least that would relieve some of the boredom.

She flicked through the huge pile of snapshots that had cluttered her desk. Sometimes she wondered why she bothered, because in the end, it was just a pile of paper, filled with memories that she struggled to remember, and clung to like a security blanket at the same time. She paused on one, and rummaged madly through her head to remember when that was.

It was a very simple picture, just a purple daisy. She couldn't even recall where it came from. There were none outside or near the spacious apartment where she now lived.

She liked the picture, though. The light was hitting it just right. Smiling, she tucked it into the corner of the picture frame that was reserved for her childhood pet, which was, in this case, a Labrador puppy that had been named Tam-Tam. The puppy was licking a giggling, ten year old Miriallia's face.

She decided to take a walk. Maybe there would be other purple daisies in the park. There was always a small chance.


	6. Panic

**~TAKE ME AWAY~**

***Thanks for the reviews! They made my day. Special thanks to the anonymous reviewer, 'me', for the constructive criticism. For that, I'll try write longer, and stop switching settings so much. I'm only fourteen, I have no idea what I'm doing, so any suggestion is welcome! Slight time jump here, please don't hate me!***

**PANIC**

Meyrin Hawke had left the military almost a year after the Second Bloody Valentine War. Or rather, her sister, Lunamaria, had insisted she leave and attend high school. With no parents or remaining family members, Lunamaria had simply contacted a few old friends, activated the trust fund left for her and her sister, and more importantly, activated her own personal 'control freak' mode. There was a reason that Lunamaria Hawke had made it as a ZAFT Redcoat.

The 'old friends' happened to be the Hahnenfuss sisters. Since the ZAFT army had been low on funds, and Shiho had been dragged into the issue, (barely four months after giving birth to Kristinia Hahnenfuss, as well as dealing with being a mother and getting her body back.), she had been dared by Lunamaria and Kate to pose for a Cosmic Era 75 ZAFT girls calender. Although she was a feminist, she put that thought out of her head and felt utterly ridiculous posing in the ZAFT female uniform, the jacket strewn over one shoulder, the pale blue shirt tied up so it covered her like a bikini top, and her hair loose.

This had resulted in instantaneous public recognition for Shiho, worship on the part for adolescent boys, and being offered a place in a modelling agency. Struggling to make ends meet, Shiho had accepted the offer, and three years after the Second Bloody Valentine War, she was more than out of financial danger. In fact, by endorsing one product and shooting a thirty second advertisement, she would have made more than the amount a Lacus Clyne concert would have grossed on ticket sales.

Still, her private life remained a mystery from the public, and that was how she preferred it. Meyrin had become like a sister as well as Kate, but in a less annoying way.

A two year old Kristinia Hahnenfuss had so far lived without any inclination to find out why her family was different, as it consisted of three women alone, (although Kate had gotten married and moved out, she was still 'family'.) and never did it seem as though the little girl wouldn't have asked had she been interested.

"Meyrin!" Shiho called as she entered through the front door. The house she lived in now was kind of large, but it at least it allowed her to live in peace with Meyrin, who had a very conflicting schedule.

"Yes?" The pink haired girl had grown her hair longer, and after persuasion from everyone she knew, finally let her pigtails go. She was a first year university student at a performing arts school, and her final examinations were less than a month away. The harassed-looking girl had almost been forced to sleep by a strict Shiho. She was sitting at the dining room table a few doors down, surrounded by piles of notes for her theory examinations.

"Have you seen Kristinia? I've been looking outside. I swear, I turn my back for one second, and she decides to go AWOL," Shiho said, jogging up the stairs. Looking outside had revealed absolutely nothing, from where she had searched.

It was a Saturday, and Kristinia Hahnenfuss, bored with finger painting, had decided it would be an awesome idea to take the family dog, Rufus, for a walk on the grounds. Rufus, the wuss of a Rottweiler, had been more than happy to oblige. The two year old girl was best friends with the gentle giant of a "vicious dog". Most two year old girls do not care for that kind of thing, but Kristinia was very different. Not only had she inherited her mother's independent attitude, she had also inherited the 'stubborn' aspect. In looks, she had her mother's dark brown, glossy hair, and basic features, actually, but nobody who met her could quite place the unsettlingly pale skin and ice blue eyes.

Rufus trotted ahead, and paused occasionally to sniff a few flowers, shrubs, or lick his non-existent balls. Basically his normal agenda, save for the inclusion of a giggling toddler, whose hand was wrapped around the leash clipped to his collar.

Shiho was frantic now. Running all over the house. In five minutes, the entire staff had joined her. Kristinia had a way of charming everyone she met, and meeting her constituted that you couldn't help loving her.

Eventually, Rufus, who had grown tired of the outdoors, headed inside, with a slightly dirty Kristinia in tow. The little girl was immediately picked up by a middle aged maid, berated lightly, and presented to a very relieved Shiho.

Even after three years of this being the norm, the twenty-two year old model had felt the same panic she felt very time she didn't know where Kristinia was.

oOoOoOo

It was all too ironic for Councilman Joule. Hadn't he been worried that he would never know what happened to Shiho Hahnenfuss once upon a time? Now she just invaded _everywhere_. He swore as he neared the four lanes of traffic. There, up against a high rise building, was one of the many billboards with the brunette beauty pictured, frozen in time, showing off a pair of denim jeans. She was a mystery to everyone. When she wasn't modelling, it was like she dropped off the face of the earth and the PLANTs again. There were a million different rumours: she was married, she had kids, she lived on Earth, the list went on...

The first time, Dearka had stumbled into his office laughing, clutching an A3 stack of paper, linked at the top with spiral wire. Of course, Dearka would have been the first to buy a calender. Slamming the calender down, open on the November page, was the only girl Yzak had ever loved. He'd never quite understood why she had chosen to abstain from skirts before, it wasn't as if she looked awful in them. Far from it. However, dealing with listening to the legions of soldiers talk about it and knowing that he couldn't do anything was even worse. It wasn't like she was his. It wasn't like he had any right to say that she was taken, and they should stop their fantasies right now.

He slammed his fist down on the dashboard, and willed the traffic to disappear.


	7. Rain

**~TAKE ME AWAY~**

***This chapter is the official twister. Prepare for a lot of maybe-it-is-maybe-it-isn't fluff and angst ahead. And yes; this seems an unlikely situation; but stick with it; it's all explained later.***

**RAIN**

Rain just drove her crazy. She could never bring herself to sleep through it, like Kristinia would, never bring herself to do anything other than curl up in the foetal position on a soft surface. She detested rain. It wasn't fear of it, she knew what fear felt like, and this wasn't it. It was her imagination that conjured up sickening thoughts of the blood she had spilled before. How many lives had she taken on the battlefield? Countless. And every time it rained, common sense was overruled by nothing more than a childlike assumption that every patronizing tap on the roof meant a new reminder of a life she had taken.

Struck with an insane thought, she swung her feet off the bed that she had been sprawled across moments ago, and hurriedly dressed. She ran down the stairs, skipping two at a time. She yelled something out to Meyrin, who was probably close to tearing her hair out with stress by now.

She sprinted outside and ignored the downpour that seemed to increase as soon as she stepped outside. She ran, blindly, and was soaked within seconds. She wished she had thought to tie her hair up. Random thoughts swam through her head.

She looked around, and vaguely noticed that she had managed to run through rain for about a mile, and was now stranded in the middle of a park. _How cliché, _she thought to herself sarcastically. _If I feel the urge to start twirling around, you can announce it officially: I have become part of a sappy movie. _

Sappy movies didn't have much of a base in reality. For one thing, it was cold. And the rain was starting to sting. She wondered why she had done this. For some kind of deep, meaningful epiphany to strike her? Or to have an epiphany-riddled conversation with a stranger? She screamed. Frustrated with herself. Why had she done this? She had no answer. She screamed again. She walked to the swing set, and tipped the water out of one. Pointless, really. She sat down, and cried.

Perhaps it was fate, or perhaps some major deity decided that he or she could take torturing Yzak Joule to a whole new level. It was this sardonic thought that coursed through his mind as he stood behind the crying Shiho Hahnenfuss.

He had seen her. He was on November 6 on business, and had driven to some random, out of the way, park for no reason that he could name. He had spent maybe ten minutes standing by the mesh wire fence, in the pouring rain, before a slender silhouette had run in from the other side of the fenced in area. Intrigued, he had watched. It definitely belonged to a woman. He struggled to place where he'd seen it before, and had almost reached a conclusion before the figure screamed. It was confirmed. Shiho Hahnenfuss. A voice more distinct and clear to him than anyone else's. He had felt ready to kill himself if it would make the tearing sensation go away.

Her hair was longer. She was almost sitting on it as it was. Conflicting thoughts ran through his mind. She let out a racking sob and he fought the urge to just find something sharp and cause himself pain. There was no way it would hurt more.

"So you found me. Now what?" she said, unexpectedly. He started. She swivelled. The two chains attached the opposite ends of the swing's seat crossed over. Amethyst eyes that looked as if they had seen everything they did not want to, and more, met the shocked blue eyes. Yzak Joule had been through two wars, fought for his life, and stood up as a member of the Council, and yet, the glare he was receiving now was more terrifying.

"Perhaps you could tell me," he managed to say, his voice not betraying the turmoil he felt.

"Don't ask me. I don't even know why _I'm _here."

They lapsed into an uncomfortable silence.

Shiho snorted. "Some reunion."

"No kidding."

More silence.

"You should get out of the rain. You might get sick," Yzak said awkwardly.

"Is that worry? And there's no need. Coordinators don't get sick."

Fifteen minutes later, he'd managed to convince her to let him drive her home. Much against her better judgement.

"I'm sorry about your car," she said apologetically.

"It doesn't matter. I'm just as soaked as you are."

Inwardly, she cursed herself. There was only one small hope. She prayed silently, _Please, please, please, let Kristinia still be asleep. Please..._

"Just drop me off here. I'll be fine. Thank you so much," she whispered as they neared the front door of the large, white house. So quickly it might not have happened, she leaned forward and kissed him. She got out of the car and ran to the door, but halfway there, and a small squeal could be heard, she was met full force with a tiny whirlwind that goes by the name of Kristinia.

Yzak had aleady turned the car around and was heading out, but one glance the rearview mirror revealed Shiho with a small child in her arms. The child in question was staring confusedly at the retreating car, blue eyes silently asking who it was that had brought her mother home.


	8. Divided

**~TAKE ME AWAY~**

***Thank you so much for the reviews. Every single one of them makes me want to squeal from happiness. Warning: Verbal cat fight ahead. And a little Rufus and Kristinia friendship fluff. What can I say? I'm a dog lover. XD*  
**

**DIVIDED**

Yzak stamped on the brakes. Hard. He was out of the car in seconds. He walked towards a horror-struck Shiho, who looked like a deer caught in headlights. Kristinia peeked curiously at the stranger. He froze, stopped dead in his tracks.

"Go inside." Shiho's voice was strained. Picking up on the tension, Kristinia ran inside once set down. Relieved, but knowing that this was far from over, she turned to face Yzak. His eyes were narrowed. She winced.

"What the _hell _are you still doing here?" Shiho asked, hostility evident in her voice.

"Trying to get answers. Why not spare me and just tell me who_ that_ is," he seethed. They were now half a meter apart. The rain kept up it's continuous drizzle.

"_That _is _my _daughter."

"And you never said anything? I'm not an idiot, for Christ's sake!"

"What would you have done? Certainly not gotten as far as you have!" she shot back.

"Do you think that matters to me? What matters is how you could have felt like you had the right to hide something like that from me!" he countered, equally furious.

"I had every right! Wasn't exactly perfect timing was it?! You never cared about me, so why should it even matter to you?! Just - "

"Never cared?! Oh that's just hilarious, you know that?"

"Just. Leave. Make like you never saw me, or Kristinia."

"Not likely."

"What is your problem?!"

The facts were these: In their ferociously unstable relationship, they had each known of the other's existence for a total of about five years. Known each other as merely comrades for the first two. They had been friends-with-benefits for approximately a year after that. More importantly, apart for the three most recent years. And still, to this day, neither would have backed down from any challenge or threat. This seemed all too evident, given the current circumstances.

From indoors and behind a raindrop-spattered window, Kristinia Hahnenfuss watched the argument and wondered what was being said. Her mother was extremely difficult to get into a full blown rage, so this stranger must have made her quite mad. Carefully, she climbed down from the window sill, but lost her balance and landed on an indifferent Rufus.

"Sorry, Rufus," she said, climbing off of the nonplussed dog. She patted his head and ran to find Meyrin. She liked the pink-haired girl. Meyrin always explained things Kristinia didn't understand.

She knocked on the door to Meyrin's room. Meyrin opened the door and smiled. The little girl, although young, was looking up with all seriousness.

"What's up?"

"Mommy's arguing." The statement was simple and straightforward.

"With who?"

Kristinia shrugged. "I dunno. Some guy."

"What does he look like?"

Kristinia thought for a second and said, "Like...me with weird hair."

oOoOoOo

Rufus had gone through a lot in his three years of life. Mind you, this would make him twenty-one in human years, but three years is still only so much time. Most of this involved accompanying the members of the small family he was living with. He sat with Kate and Shiho as a puppy, growing in leaps and bounds, faster than the child in Shiho's stomach. As an awkward six-month-old with enormous paws that served as a trip-hazard, he sniffed the newborn Kristinia Hahnenfuss, and rejoiced in the prospect of a new playmate that couldn't seem to grow up fast enough to actually play. He was always gentle and quiet. Kristinia locked her arms around Rufus's neck when she was learning to walk, she giggled when he sniffed her hair, and she'd given Rufus countless Eskimo kisses. He slept at the foot of her bed every night and thus, scared the monsters away.

He was her very best friend.

And now, he was crammed under the dining room table, while Kristinia patted him and wondered if her mother was alright.


	9. Letting Go and Holding On

**~TAKE ME AWAY~**

**LETTING GO AND HOLDING ON  
**

She drew him in. Cliché as it was, she had some sort of addictive pull. Stronger than the pull of unlimited internet access appeared to a pre-teen child. Stronger than...well, there was no need to go into more detail. Had Yzak kept a diary, it would have been full of comparisons such as that. Not that he was secure enough in his masculinity to keep a diary, mind you. Miriallia, Dearka's fiancée of three years, who came close to being more annoying than Dearka himself, often said this, and Yzak could never quite come up with a defensive comeback. There was another reason: Yzak never kept a diary because it was like setting himself up for being blackmailed by Dearka. Yzak did not consider himself paranoid, but dammit, he was a politician! Any blackmail material was bad news. Nevertheless, he put this out of his mind and focused instead on the glaring brunette in front of him. She would have looked comical had he not known, based on first hand experience, that she could slap. Hard.

He sighed and met her eyes. Was that hatred? The other day, he had been forced to attend a ridiculous family gathering involving some of his least favourite people. His slightly deranged mother, hungry for grandchildren, had badgered him the entire time; at least, the entire time he was not avoiding the fan club that had been formed by his female second cousins (his cousin's_ other_ set of cousins) who were about fourteen to seventeen in age range. So, between avoiding fan girls and his mother, a perfectly good Saturday was painful to endure. Back to the point: the hate-filled glare hurt worse than spending a Saturday hounded by teenage girls.

"Isn't it enough for you?" Her voice was harsh. "My life is finally something I can stand to live, and _now _you decide to show up?!"

"..."

"Say something, dammit!"

"I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I'm sorry. That's all." He clenched his fist at his side. Now or never.

She opened her mouth, hesitated, a bit her lip. Now. He stepped forward, at the exact moment she turned and walked back to the house. He sighed.

She looked over her shoulder and said, "You coming?"

oOoOoOo

When Meyrin Hawke had moved in with the Hahnenfuss sisters, Kate was engaged and planning a wedding, and Shiho was raising a two month old baby. Not to mention the growing Rottweiler added to the family. At first, she had been terrified of the dog, but eventually, he grew on her. She'd re-enrolled in high school, and struggled with fitting in all over again. She was cut out for intelligence, not being beautiful and being perfect, as far as she was concerned.

All the same, she was determined not to let her life be run by her insecurities. She'd had enough of that, growing up as Lunamaria's virtual shadow. She'd had enough of hating everything about her body. So she started walking Rufus in the morning with Shiho, who was just as determined, if not more. The brunette girl was good company, and they became very good friends through that. A few months after that, Meyrin had gone shopping, and was delighted (and a little vindictively happy) to find that she was a size smaller than Lunamaria, and Shiho had posed for her famous CE 75 Miss November calender shot.

After almost three months of hiding behind her laptop and baggy T-shirts, she walked into high school with confidence for the first time, holding her head high, wearing her hair loose, and dressed in the new clothes she'd bought. Of course, she still carried her laptop around, but it was just the kind of person she was.

CE 75 brought the release of the ZAFT girls calender. Meyrin was very proud of Shiho, who had effectively become an older sister.

Since then, Meyrin had started singing, and found she liked it. A lot. Shiho heard her, and later, bought her a guitar, and sent her to voice and guitar lessons. Of course, Meyrin had protested, but Shiho had insisted. So Meyrin worked at it, and got progressively better. So that year, CE 75, she signed up for her school's end-of-year talent show. There was one song that she loved so dearly, and had practised long and hard. It was an old song, back from when people still used the A.D. calender, even. But she loved the song, and she thought it was timeless. To add to it, the song was like _her_ song.

That day of the talent show, she won, and the prize was her performing arts scholarship.

But Meyrin; despite everything she had let go of and discovered, could not quite put a description to the confusing predicament of the two rain drenched people yelling at one another outside; a scene she observed from her bedroom window.

_Shiho, what have you gotten yourself into?_


	10. You Found Me

**~TAKE ME AWAY~**

***Have an awesome 2010, guys!***

**YOU FOUND ME**

Shiho Hahnenfuss wasn't cut out for handling sappy moments, awkward moments, or emotional moments. Needless to say, she was hardly overjoyed at the prospect of explaining the almost-too-weird-to-be-real truth to _anyone,_ really. Honestly; how unlikely did that even seem? For the love of...her and Yzak's DNA wasn't even matched! If it was, the PLANT DNA database would have set them up _long_ before it was overturned by Chairwoman Lacus Clyne.

She gripped the cold, marble edge of the kitchen counter top. Yzak was waiting in the living room, waiting for her to magically explain everything. Damn, if there was someone up there, could they just for _once _fix a problem?

He watched the retreating brunette. The door swung shut. He stared at the coffee table. A full minute passed, and then...someone was watching him. He turned, and there sat a patiently waiting Rottweiler, eyes focused and business-like.

The dog just stared at him. And stared. And stared. Damn, if he didn't know better, he'd say the dog was giving him the evil eye. At that moment, Yzak quietly resolved to be a cat person.

"Rufus!" someone shrieked. Yzak looked up, startled. From apparently nowhere, the little girl...he swallowed. His _daughter_, had appeared, run up to the dog, (he could only watch, horror struck.) and rugby tackled the Rottweiler, who seemed rather unmoved.

"Rufus, where'd you go?" After receiving absolutely no response from the dog, Kristinia Hahnenfuss looked up, and noticed Yzak. Her eyes widened.

_Good God, _Yzak thought to himself. _First I have a staring competition with a dog, now a two year old. What the hell?_

Then, Kristinia decided to break the silence. She clung to the dog, and said, simply, "My mom is mad at you."

"I know."

"Why is she mad?" Kristinia curiously inquired.

Yzak paused. "Because she lost."

Kristinia giggled. "What?"

"Hide and seek. Your mom and I were playing hide and seek and she was winning, but then I found her."

"Liar. I always find her when her and me and Meyrin and Rufus play hide 'n seek."

"I'm not very good at hide and seek," Yzak said carefully.

"Oh. Why not?"

"I don't know."

"Who are you?" Kristinia's question strangely shook him. Who _was_ he? He shook his head. Damn. It shouldn't have been that complicated.

"Yzak Joule."

"Weird name," Kristinia said as she combed her fingers through Rufus's hair.

"My mom had weird ideas. And your name is?"

"It's Kristinia."

"Your mom must have weird ideas too."

Kristinia shrugged. "I dunno."

They lapsed into silence.

oOoOoOo

At this very moment, many of the people you have heard of or read about were scattered all over the Galaxy, so it seemed.

Athrun and Cagalli, living in ORB, had gotten married a few months ago. The wedding had gotten mass media coverage, and most people had seen that as a beacon of hope. A few remaining supporters of Blue Cosmos were in outcry. But nevertheless, the couple remained very much together. They are currently acting as parents for the war orphans that Lacus and Kira had previously looked after, although due to adoption, there are now only five remaining. Cagalli herself is, although she doesn't know it yet, two weeks pregnant.

Moving on back to the PLANTs, was Kira and Lacus. The happy couple had been married almost a year now, and although Lacus had a very busy schedule, Kira was always with her because of his bodyguard agenda. PLANTs leading tabloid magazine had dubbed them the cutest celebrity couple of the year for the past two years.

Shinn and Lunamaria were living together quite happily on Junius 4. Lunamaria had taken up painting and Shinn was pursuing a law degree. Nothing else of critical importance has happened between them, seeing as Shinn remains rather clueless in the world of dating.

Dearka and Miriallia have been married almost as long as Kira and Lacus have, and have been living on Martius 7. Miriallia is five months pregnant, and has, due to pregnancy hormones, become a deadly force of nature. Due to this, Dearka is currently sleeping on the couch and being forced to run out and get whatever food she happens to be craving at the moment. The cravings tend to occur in the early hours of the morning.

Kate Hahnenfuss has kept her last name due to her line of work, and is also married. She and her husband live on November 6, and visit Shiho, Meyrin, and Kristinia frequently.

Moving back to ORB, there is Murrue and Mu La Flaga, who have been married since a few months after the end of the Second Bloody Valentine War. They have a pair of two year old twin boys, and Murrue rules the house with an iron fist. Ask Mu who wears "The Pants" in his relationship, and he will stutter and say he is, although you and everyone else know he is lying.

At this very moment, Shiho Hahnenfuss's world is being torn apart as she hopes Kristinia has gone back to sleep, and will believe this was just a dream when she wakes up. She bottles up scream after scream as she resists the urge to cry a river.

_If I'd just stayed at home, if I'd run somewhere else. If I'd stopped to think of how stupid running outside in the pouring rain was, then maybe this wouldn't be happening. Maybe if I hadn't been so stupid as to think I could have some semblance of the life I wished I were living; maybe if I didn't wish for something I could never have.  
_


	11. Where Were You?

**~TAKE ME AWAY~**

***PLEASE READ!!! Thank you for the reviews! Yeah I talk about the dog a lot, but that's because dogs bring people together. Haven't you seen all the movies when two people who are totally meant for each other get tied together by a dog leash?***

**WHERE WERE YOU?**

She sat down on one of the kitchen stools. Deep breaths.

_Okay, now what? Right. What's my status?_

_Well, I'm still wet. My hair is plastered to my back. And...shit. _She blushed as she crossed her arms over her chest. The thing about white shirts is that, when wet, they tend to turn see-through. Embarrassing.

_Calm down. At least your bra is the same colour...maybe he didn't notice? _She blushed again. _Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. _

She wasn't the type that was comfortable changing in a packed locker room, no matter how many times she told herself that they were all girls and it wasn't anything they hadn't seen before.

_Isn't that just hilarious, _she thought sarcastically. _It's nothing he hasn't seen before. _She buried her face in her palms. _Moving on. Okay. What now?_

To business. She got up and walked to the back door, where a series of pegs were nailed in a neat row. She pulled a rain jacket down from the far left one, and put it on. The sleeves were too long. Never mind. She zipped it up.

Taking a deep breath, she buzzed one of the maids down. She wasn't ready for the big confrontation yet. Shiho instructed her to find Kristinia, take her upstairs, and give her a bath. There. Kristinia was out of the way for about half an hour.

She waited another ten minutes, trying to regain whatever composure she had once built up. _Shiho Hahnenfuss is always composed. Shiho Hahnenfuss is a mobile suit pilot who never backs down. Shiho Hahnenfuss is the one who always used to beat Dearka at arm wrestling with a perfectly straight face, and beat him to a pulp (with a straight face) when he changed her ring tone to Sexy, Naughty, Bitchy. Ready yet? No. No, I'm not. For crying out loud! How long did I think I could hide? Well...longer than this. Maybe forever. Too damn bad, isn't it? Get the hell out there, It's been like twenty minutes already. _With that, she left the kitchen and faced quite an amusing scene. Had it not been quite a serious moment, she would have burst out laughing.

"Rufus, buddy, whatcha doing here?" Shiho said, avoiding the silver haired coordinators gaze. She crouched down and called the dog. The dog just looked at her sceptically, then pointedly looked at Yzak, who was becoming increasingly more uncomfortable. Unable to control herself, she slipped up and burst out laughing.

For the first time since entering, Yzak spoke. "Your dog reminds me of Commander Le Creuset."

"Like how?"

"They both just stare at you and sneer."

"Dogs can't sneer."

"I think there's quite a valid argument against that right there." He pointed at the dog.

Rufus puppy crawled the three meters to Shiho. She cracked up again. Yzak couldn't help noticing that 'Rufus' had deliberately positioned himself in front of his mistress, and was now glaring at him. The dog could give the evil eye worse than his mother. Which was certainly saying something.

Shiho sat cross-legged on the hardwood floor.

"I just don't get you, Yzak Joule. You hardly seem like the kind of person who would care."

Her blunt choice of words had him puzzled. What did he say to that?

"I don't get you either. Why did you run?"

Silence. Then: "What was I supposed to do?" Shiho said, shrugging her shoulders.

"No, I meant, _Why did you run and not say anything?_"

"Look; put it this way: we weren't an item."

"I think I deserved to know."

"I don't make trouble for myself. Which is more than I can say for you," Shiho said cynically.

"I think you're straying from the issue."

"Fine. You would have wanted me to get an abortion." She crossed her arms again.

"You don't know that."

"You are not cut out for parenting," Shiho stated bluntly.

"You weren't either, as far as I remember."

"You had no physical ties. Nothing would have changed you."

"You still don't know that," Yzak countered.

"Maybe I don't. Look, now isn't a good time." Shiho gestured at her damp jeans. Yzak nodded.

"I still want to get through this issue, and I think, well."

"Come over tomorrow. Any time you want is fine. We can find a compromise." He nodded again.

He stood up, and she followed suit.

"Yzak?" her voice sounded almost childlike. "Please...just don't try take her away. Please."


	12. Calm Before the Storm

**~TAKE ME AWAY~**

***Thank you so much for reviewing! It means the world to me. Included is an excerpt from the song Bigger Than Love (No, I do not like the song, I just like the lyrics.)***

**CALM BEFORE THE STORM**

_A **beating heart**;_

_a **rhythm**_

_for the songs_

_We're too afraid to **sing**._

She lay in bed later that night, and based on a sudden fit of hysteria, grabbed the pillow and screamed into it. _I feel like an adolescent child. _She sat up, tossed the pillow aside (and before her outburst, Mr Pillow had been happily doing his job, and not doing anything wrong.) and glanced at the digital clock on the night stand. 2:34 am. _Great. Just great. _

She knew she'd never get to sleep tonight. Feeling extremely childish, she dragged her duvet off the bed and left the room.

She knew the layout of her house better than the back of her hand. It didn't matter that she couldn't see her hand in front of her face. She stepped around the corner and through Kristinia's open door.

"Rufus?" she whispered. She left the room, and heard the dog get up, yawn, and follow her.

There. The living room. That should be fine. Wrapping the duvet around her shoulders, she sat down and turned the TV on. _Some random chick-flick. Ew. Horror? No way do I need that right now. I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry? Seen it. Stardust? No, too much goddamn romance. Squid documentary. Fine. That's as non-romantic as possible, right?_

She felt the couch bounce as the enormous Rottweiler jumped up on the other side.

Half an hour into the squid documentary, and she was bored, but not enough to fall asleep. She pressed her fingers to her temples. She changed the channel. Mamma Mia? Okay. Just in time to hear: "_Somebody up there - has got it in for me. I bet it's my mother." _Shiho snorted. Good god, she could sympathise. Kate was definitely always her parent's favourite. Not that Shiho ever blamed her for it, she loved her sister. Maybe because Shiho Hahnenfuss had been an accident. She snorted again. Seems all too hereditary. _But the difference has got to be that I love my kid even if she wasn't planned. _

Years in the military had taught Shiho Hahnenfuss to skirt around thoughts she didn't want to think. Anyone could tell her not to think of a pink elephant, and she could truly _not_ think of it. She had developed this ability since the age of fifteen. So when she had gone out into her first battle, amongst other cadets, many had been physically sick. She had not so much as cringed. Needless to say, she had been avoiding thoughts of Yzak Joule since he had left earlier.

She reached for a notepad, and in the blue-ish light of the flickering television, she wrote.

_War has desensitized me before, and the deadening feeling of emptiness still haunts me sometimes. When the end of both Bloody Valentine Wars had been nearing, I'd lost my self-preservation instinct, and had lost the feeling that I would be putting my life on the line whenever I went into battle. I'd become reckless, because too many victories before had given me a false image. The two years between the wars had been the first descent from the alien feeling. I had been horrified by my recklessness, even though it had earned me respect from comrades who had previously looked down on me because I was a girl. I'd vowed not to let it overtake me again, but it had, in the Second Bloody Valentine War. I sometimes wonder this: if I would fight again; would I lose myself? Knowing me, I probably would, but would I fight if I had something I still wanted to live for? I lose sight of so many things that should bother me, but strangely, do not. Is there any honesty in saying that I am selfish? Selfish because at the time that I had joined ZAFT, I still had a family? Is there any honesty in saying that I was not, because I was protecting them?  
_


	13. What's Been Done

**~TAKE ME AWAY~**

***Yes, I know the last chapter was very insubstantial. So I'm updating again today. Forgive me for having absolutely no idea how to approach this situation. Anyone capable of reading will realise that I can't construct situations accurately to save my life. This chapter is just Yzak's wake up call.***

**WHAT'S BEEN DONE**

The last time he had seen her, there had been no emotion in her face. She looked dead. What had happened to the determination in her eyes? The same determination that had pulled him through every battle?

_How long can you lie to yourself, before you realize that you truly don't want to believe what you tell yourself? Isn't that the sole reason why we lie to ourselves?_

He was reading into things too deeply again. Avoiding the issue. Sidetracking. He looked like a clueless idiot driving around in the rain, who had driven past his current apartment building three times, and made no motion to turn around when he noticed.

_If you've lived your entire life, and no one ever told you the truth, would every word lose it's meaning? _

How did you tell yourself the truth if reality would not let you realize it? How did you believe something if you could not actually face it?

Yzak had always thought that you could only believe in any single concept if there was irrefutable evidence behind that concept's existence. And there it was. A little girl, the exact age fitting to the last time he had been with Shiho Hahnenfuss, gestation period included. A little girl with dark hair matching that of Shiho. Pale skin he had only seen on himself and his mother, and eyes he had only seen there as well. Logic told him it was true, so he put up a wall displaying that he believed so. But despite that, a dreamlike sense behind that wall would not let reality sink in.

Eventually, he got a hold of himself, parked the car, and walked to the building. He ignored the stares.

And later, trying to sleep, his chaotic thoughts still screamed at him. Despite being a very disciplined soldier of ZAFT, he could never control what went on in his head. Often, Commander Le Creuset would be briefing the team, and although he would concentrate and pay attention, some part of his mind was thinking about destroying something. Or some part of his mind was screaming the lyrics to an entirely random song...well, you get the picture. In spite of this, he was never labelled as having a short attention span.

But if only his thoughts could have been half as uncomplicated.

_Nothing you do will take it back, _he thought to himself bitterly. _Nothing you do will cancel out what you've done. The truth is that you let her leave before and you didn't say anything. The truth is that never once were you honest with her. And she still lets you in, and you still always shut people out. How long can you live with lying to her? All over again?_

A thought struck him. Almost immediately, it was wiped out by the voice of reason, who, these days, was beginning to sound like his mother.

_And you can't tell her the truth. She'll think you're lying, because you're always trying to make up for things, aren't you? Typical. So insensitive. _

Resigned to the fact that his conscience would torment him all night, he sighed. Seeing as he'd be kept up all night anyway, he may as well face the facts.

_**Major Hahnenfuss looks troubled. This is, as Shiho Hahnenfuss goes, unusual. That expression isn't uncommon in the midst of a war, but this is different, because the war has officially come to an end barely a week ago. Right now, the Rousseau and Voltaire are assigned to clearing the Zodiac Region of debris. This is tedious, but necessary, because it could pose a threat to any ships passing through in the future. **_

_**Wordlessly, she tosses him a small object. He catches it, in one hand, and closes his fist. **_

_**"Don't look at it until I tell you to." Her face and tone are now empty of expression. This is not unusual for her. Confused, he narrows his eyes. With his free hand, he grabs the back of one of the chairs in the bridge. All the others are off duty. He tries to figure out what the strange object is. It's about two inches long, one inch wide, and less than a quarter inch thick, with rounded edges. From what he can tell, it's made of plastic. **_

_**"I didn't think this would happen," she continues. Her voice catches. Taking this as his cue, he opens his fist and studies the object. Nothing. Plain white plastic. He turns it over, and feels his heart skip a beat. **_

_**"I want an abortion. I can't do this," she says, her jaw clenched. His world falls apart. **_

_**Time speeds up, and he's sitting in a hospital waiting room. He stands and looks around. There's Shiho, and she's signing a form at the U shaped reception desk. **_

_**"What are you - " he tries to say, before she turns around, and smiles sadly. **_

_**She walks away, he follows, she doesn't stop him. She weaves through the maze of white and blue halls, and try as he might to catch up, she's always ahead. She turns a corner and disappears. **_

_**Panicking, he runs. He runs past an open doorway, and sighs in relief as he sees her. **_

_**She looks at him again, blankly. "I'm sorry. I can't be a mother. You can't be a father."**_

_**He grips the doorway. "Don't do this!"**_

_**"I'm sorry." **_

_**The next thing he knows, there are a group of people standing in the corner, and Shiho is slumped, unconscious, against the wall. There are five people there. With a jolt, he recognizes every one of them to be deceased. His father. Nicol Amalfi. Rusty Mackenzie. Miguel Aiman. They just stare. **_

_**The green haired boy steps forward holding the hand of a dark haired little girl. "One more person denied to live, see, hear, and run, isn't she?"**_

Yzak jolted upright, his heartbeat accelerated insanely.

_It wasn't real, it wasn't real, it wasn't real. But that little girl is.  
_


	14. The Storm

**~TAKE ME AWAY~**

***Thank you guys for putting up with my confusing writing. Just to clear things up, in the last chapter, the _bold-italic _section is Yzak's nightmare. Kind of necessary in the grand scheme that I'm pretending I have planned out. I tried to make that obvious at the end without insulting anyone's intelligence. I won't be able to update like like I used to. Damn holiday had to end sometime. My schedule is usually too full with the agenda of doing nothing.***

**THE STORM  
**

She'd answered the door half asleep. Part of her was acting as if it were three in the morning instead of the 9 a.m. that it really was. She was usually up _way _before that. However, as it was, she was in pyjamas and her hair was pulled back kind of sloppily with a hair elastic.

Opening the door did not improve her mood much. At all, really. Shiho had been relying on a little more time before she had to cross the Yzak bridge. Again.

"Moron," she muttered, meeting his eye. "Aren't you familiar with the customs of normal people? Namely, that getting up before eleven on a Saturday is just plain wrong?"

"I'm puzzled as to how you fall into the category of 'normal'," Yzak replied.

"At least more than _you_ do."

"You told me to come; you didn't specify the time."

"Not everybody wastes a perfectly good Saturday waking up at military hours."

"You still do that?" he asked, his face forming a smile.

"Do what? Wake up at military hours? Sometimes."

"No; sidetrack to a previous topic because you couldn't make your point."

"Shut up and come inside."

About twenty minutes later, a newly dressed Shiho stared blankly at the unmarked envelope Yzak had handed to her.

"What?"

"Child support."

"I don't want your money," she said, sliding the envelope over the table, towards him.

"Can I not at least do something for you?! If not you, at least my own flesh and blood that you apparently forgot to mention to me?!" He slid the envelope back.

"For one thing, even I hadn't told you, you could have looked up my ZAFT profile, _at any time_, and found my reason for leaving ticked off as 'impending maternity'. And for another, I don't need financial support; and neither does my daughter," she said calmly, picking up the envelope between with two fingers and placing it before him. "Try give it back and I'll kill you," she said, narrowing her eyes and crossing her arms.

He was at a loss for words.

Shiho broke the silence. "Right now, we're standing on shaky ground. Strictly professional relationship from now on, got it?" Her tone didn't exactly invite objection. He nodded.

"I don't want anyone else knowing...about all of this. I'm sorry. But I don't exactly think that the story would go down so fantastically with your family or whoever," she continued.

"In what way?"

"Hi, your son and I had mutually beneficial sex out of boredom more than anything else. Here's your granddaughter," Shiho said sarcastically. "Besides, _Councilman, _I doubt that it would look so great on your part."

"And you?" he asked, raising his eyebrow._ 'Boredom more than anything else'. Maybe for you. _

"I'm not a political figure. I can do_ whatever_, and as long as I don't break the law, the public doesn't care a whole lot," she said swiftly.

"So in spite of that, you virtually live under a rock when you're not working?" he said, scepticism evident in his voice.

"My life, my decision, my freedom of choice. Problem? Tell someone who cares."


	15. How It's Possible

**~TAKE ME AWAY~**

***Sorry for the slow update. Ran into reality, and reality means school and homework, apparently. This chapter explains how the plot is possible. ^_~ Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to Greek Mythology.***

**HOW IT'S POSSIBLE**

"Are you _done _yet, Aphrodite?"

"No. I want to drag things out a _little_ longer," the love goddess replied.

"A little longer? Any longer and the sun will have had ample time to explode," the goddess of wisdom replied dryly.

"TAKING A LONG TIME IS THE FUN PART, YOU IDIOT!" Aphrodite screeched. A split second later, she clapped her hands over her mouth and let a mortified expression take hold of her features.

"Call me ugly, call me a bitch. But DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, call... me... STUPID!!!" Athena screamed. Suddenly, Aphrodite saw sense in shutting up. It's never wise to call the goddess of wisdom an idiot, so, letting go of her dignity, Aphrodite resorted to begging for forgiveness.

"SORRY SORRY SORRY!!!"

"Enough. Back to the problem at hand. How much longer do you think you can continue twisting fate in the name of bringing them together? I rather liked her. She had a good head on her shoulders."

"It's not much longer before my plan works out, Athena. All I need is a little more time to change things. And the little girl is the perfect tool for bringing that change about."

Athena sighed. "Very well then. But stop interfering so much after _this_," she said, waving her hand over the portal. A brunette woman sat at across from a silver haired man, and the woman did not look at all thrilled with this arrangement. "I assumed that after Zeus had given you trouble for the ZAFT soldier who fell for the ORB princess in the First War, that you would be less willing to interfere so much. Apparently, I was mistaken."

The portal changed to reflect a scene of the past. A blonde teenage girl in a red shirt pointed a gun at a blue haired male of equivalent age. They appeared to be in an infirmary of sorts.

"And yet time and time again, you continue with this," Athena continued, and the portal changed to a black haired teenage boy and a different blonde girl, both waist deep in the ocean.

"Okay, now _that _one is unfair," Aphrodite pouted, gesturing at the image the mirror-portal displayed. "It was an entirely platonic relationship! So I sent the emo kid a reason to live, big deal!"

"Yes," Athena replied, sarcastically. "So you could kill her off."

"They weren't emotionally compatible!" Aphrodite whined. "And I love a tragic love story!"

"And you're certain you won't subject the current 'love story', as you call it, to that fate?"

"Nope. Now if you're done, I need to get a mani-pedi and see to it that the little kid cooperates with me. The dog is already doing his job; and hey, animals rock at this kind of thing."

And in a puff of pink dust, the goddess of love had vanished, leaving a frowning Athena behind.

"What now, Aphrodite?"

oOoOoOo

Kristinia Hahnenfuss, bless her, had no idea of the terrifying fate planned out for her. Caught in the crossfire of two feuding parents? This was most definitely not a good thing. However, she was only a two year old, and blissfully unaware of what was to come.

I'm aware that what you'd like to know is what Kristinia is thinking. Simply put, I have no answers. I can, however, show you, if your mind is open enough. Very well.

Assume, for a moment, that, hypothetically speaking, you still have the ability to see the world clearly, even though people try to mask the horrifying reality from you. Every child born is bestowed the ability of intuition, however shallow it may be. Kristinia, for example, notices how many of her friends resemble their big sister or whatever. Perhaps she has put two and two together and produced five, because her assumption is close to the truth, but not quite?

We must ask ourselves: When your mother is the only parent you have ever known, could you accept a father? Are you a victim of circumstance if you were conceived in war? Of course, that depends. What _were_ your circumstances? Had your eyes ever been open and your heart closed while so many died so near, but seemingly in a whole other galaxy?

Kristinia is both blessed and cursed, because while she escaped being born during a war, there is another to come, and small scale though it may be, it will overturn life as she knows it.


	16. Welcome To My World

**~TAKE ME AWAY~**

***I love reviews. Please and thank you! Note: Teensy-weensy time jump here. Forgive me?***

**WELCOME TO MY WORLD**

"The strawberry hairspray or the vanilla, Uncle Yzak? "

"Hmph."

"Don't have that kind."

"Vanilla." _At least there's more dignity in vanilla than strawberry. _The sudden cloud of vanilla hairspray immediately made him re-think his decision.

Under any normal circumstances, Yzak Joule would never have allowed a three year old to play hairdresser with _him_ as the customer (thankfully, Shiho had confiscated the scissors beforehand). Although, his mind rationalized, this did not count this as 'normal cicumstances'. Never mind the fact that his ego had been shot straight down to hell barely half an hour beforehand.

So as it was, he was sitting cross-legged on the _floor_, dammit, and the little devil that he couldn't really say 'no' to was carefully placing a bubblegum pink Hello Kitty crocodile clip (only one among many) in his hair.

He sighed, resigned to his impending doom that came in the form of glitter hair scrunchies and star-shaped rainbow clips.

"What are you doing?" Kristinia curiously enquired.

"What?" He couldn't help but entertain a fleeting smile, in spite of everything.

She exhaled loudly and deliberately. "That," she pointed out.

"Oh. It's nothing."

" 'Kay," she said indifferently, shrugging her shoulders. In Kristinia's mind, it was already put behind her.

* * *

The past few months, he had come to November 6 every single weekend, where he was welcomed as "Uncle Yzak" by Kristinia, and regarded coldly by Shiho.

Every time, Shiho had opened the door and narrowed her violet eyes in a way that would have reduced a lesser man to assuming the foetal position. Her face betrayed no expression other than calm, composed hatred. She said very little, and only ever spoke to say one of three things.

The first was, in reference to lunch. "Do you want anything?" Despite the fact that it was a purely snack-related question, he could never help but think that the only thing he truly wanted was something she'd never give.

The second was either a simple "Yes" or "No" in response to a question she could not avoid answering.

The third was given as if it were an order, and in some way, it was. "Goodbye."

_The other girl, Meyrin, refuses to even acknowledge my__ prescence. I've always wondered if girls simply took each other's sides because they were fighting a common enemy. I've seen this theory proven, before Dearka had met Miriallia. Two angry ex-girlfriends had started a catfight with each other in the middle of a crowded shopping mall, and, before anyone knew it, they had teamed up and advanced on Dearka. Do all females consider males a common enemy?_

It took him a split second to figure out that he'd spoken that thought.

* * *

She had crept virtually unnoticed into the living room, and stood silently in the doorway, watching Kristinia tie a purple ribbon in Yzak's hair, and arriving just in time to hear his unconsciously spoken theory.

"All women are angels," Shiho began, suddenly. Yzak started and met her eyes. She didn't make a comment on his new hairdo. For once, her expression was free of hate. "But when men break our wings, we just continue to fly. On a broomstick."

"What?" he asked.

Her expression darkened. "It's the way it works. Being a girl. Your worst enemy can become your best friend in the space of a day. One guy can break your heart and turn you into a bitch. And when you become the bitch, you find friends who are just like you. There's strength in numbers. When we get hurt, odds can forge friendship out of absolutely anything."

"Did you ever leave high school?" he says, weakly attempting humour.

"Who does?" And just like that, she's gone.


	17. Unwritten

**~TAKE ME AWAY~**

***Erm. Right. It's been two weeks since the last update, right? Sorry sorry sorry. This chapter includes an excerpt from Natasha Bedingfield's Unwritten.***

**UNWRITTEN**

_Drench yourself in words unspoken,_

_Live your life with arms wide open._

_Today is_

_Where your book begins._

_The rest is still unwritten._

_By now, _Shiho thought to herself, _he's probably already here. And I just don't want to deal with him. Because I hate that I love him. _She shifted under the pile of pillows and sheets. She was always a messy sleeper. It was almost as if, even in sleep, she could not stop herself changing things so they worked to her benefit.

The sun crept through and stained her vision red, until finally, she could not put off getting out of bed any longer.

She yanked the tangled sheets away from a snoring Rufus. Petty as it was, it gave her no small satisfaction to know that Rufus was shunning Yzak, as if he too could not see any sense in Yzak's presence.

She glanced at the digital clock. She had at least three hours before that lunch thing with Lunamaria and Meyrin. Apparently, they had made plans with some of their old friends to come too.

She was hardly out of bed, and already felt tired just thinking about it. Lunamaria and Meyrin were great friends, but could both go shopping (and drag any innocent bystander along with them) for hours on end given the chance.

She dressed herself in fairly normal clothes, tied her recently cut hair back (it now only reached the bottom of her shoulder blades), and threaded the dark tail of hair through the back of a cap. She hadn't been out in public much, so she hoped this would work.

oOoOoOo

Miriallia was having a fantastic day. So far. She had left Dearka in charge of their three month old son, Jake, (although this was done with a little hesitation) and was meeting up with Cagalli and Lacus that afternoon. Cagalli had also mentioned bringing a few friends along...

Speaking of which, Cagalli was on maternity leave. Pregnancy was a big deal in the PLANTs, especially since, thanks to Lacus and Kira, the genetic reconstruction programme was now in full swing. There was nothing major, just a small glitch in coordinator genetics that could literally be corrected in an afternoon at any time during foetal development.

It was basically a small DNA strand that needed to be corrected so that infertility would no longer pose a threat.

Miriallia felt the familiar tug in her gut as she waved to Dearka, and backed out of the driveway of the sizeable house she and her new family now resided in.

oOoOoOo

"Remember, she's not allowed sugar, and ask Taryn if you need anything," Shiho said as she fished for her car keys in the fruit bowl. For some reason or other, most things magically ended up there. "I can count on you for this, right?" She narrowed her eyes.

"Actually, Kris wants to go to the mall, and I've volunteered to take her," Yzak said calmly.

"You _what?!_" The glass bowl toppled over and shattered on the tiled floor of the kitchen. She raised her forearm a split second later.

"Kris wants to go to the mall."

"And you already told her _yes_, without _asking _me first?!" Her voice rose an octave. He flinched and then crossed his arms.

They stood like that, barely two meters apart, crystals of glass forming a deathly sharp bridge between them. An apple rolled aimlessly around her feet.

"How long do you think you can keep her here?"

Wordlessly she picked her keys up. She reached for a rectangular object, and tossed it at him, without even sparing him a glance.

"I asked you not to," she said, and left. Standing there in shock, it took him a minute to realize what she meant.

_Please, _she'd said. _Don't take her away from me._

He studied the object she'd thrown at him, and realized it was like a diary, but it opened up and revealed a selection of photographs he'd never seen before.

The first was obviously in a hospital. It was like one of those typical pictures, everyone in the family gathered around a hospital bed. But nobody was standing next to Shiho's. Her hair fell like a curtain over her face, as if she couldn't care less about photographs. All she cared about was the child she held in her arms.

He flipped through the book, but fourteen pictures and it ended. The plastic sleeves left empty seemed flimsy without a purpose.

_The rest is still to come_, he thought. _There's still a whole lot more that can happen. The rest is still unwritten._


	18. Setting The Plan In Motion

**~TAKE ME AWAY~**

***Thanks for sticking with me guys! Only about five chapters left.***

**SETTING THE PLAN IN MOTION  
**

To anyone watching, they looked like perfectly normal college students sitting at a bar. Aphrodite had adopted an image reminiscent of a human barbie, dressed as she was in a hot pink halter-neck, equally pink high heels, and a denim mini-skirt. Her hair was long and blonde for the occasion, and to top it off, she carried a pink dog purse with a chihuahua setting up camp there.

Athena had dressed contrastingly different from the beauty goddess. She was dressed in plain, modest clothing that just screamed "I love the library".

The wisdom goddess watched, scandalised, as the love goddess downed her fourth tequila shot.

"You can't get drunk, moron," Athena explained, sighing.

"I can too. I've been around six millennia or so, I think I can handle myself."

"No, as in, _alcohol won't affect you_ 'you can't get drunk'. Obviously. You honestly haven't figured this out yet?"

"I like how it tastes, then."

"Let's just get down to business, okay? I'd like to get out of here," Athena said, a disgusted look on her face. "I think you're taking this too far."

"Look, I don't pay a whole lot of attention to _every _love story out there. I just assist people in finding their soul mates, then I'm out of their lives."

"I'm talking about the councilman and the model story. Don't you think you're interfering too much?"

"Look, I can't control what people think or do. I just do whatever I need to do to get soul mates realise they're perfect for each other. I manipulate circumstances; how people react to them is not my fault or responsibility," Aphrodite said, examining her make up in a compact mirror. She snapped it shut.

"You _so _need a lesson in subtlety."

"Whatever. You're just jealous."

"Of _what?! _I'm only badgering you because I _know _Zeus will be mad!" Athena said, bringing her closed fist down on the polished wooden counter.

"Daddy always let's me off easy. I'm the favourite, you know?"

"Whatever. I'm_ so_ out of here. I can't stand all this _vulgarity,_" Athena spat, gesturing with her arms at the bar in general. She pushed her untouched drink away, and dematerialized in what looked like a heat haze.

Aphrodite shrugged nonchalantly, and reached for another tequila shot. Even if she_ could_ get drunk, people had ignored the Greek belief system for so long that the gods could blend in easily of they wanted to. Nobody looked at you twice if you looked just like everyone else. So even if she could get drunk and did, even of she started talking about being a goddess, anyone who heard her would simply think she was a) self-absorbed (not that she wasn't, but that's besides the point) b) drunk off her face or c) escaped from the nearby psycho ward.

The chihuahua yapped from somewhere inside Aphrodite's purse.

"Yes, Pookie, I know we're late for your spa appointment, but don't worry, I booked you for the whole afternoon."

With that, the love goddess paid for her drinks and left, her five inch heels clicking on the tiled floor. She smiled as she passed a group of intoxicated men who catcalled loudly. She gave them the royal wave and giggled a little.

All in a day's work for Aphrodite. Now, she had plans to get a certain _complicated _couple together. Even if it was a little frustrating, Aphrodite was determined to succeed. Both knew what they wanted, now, it was time she cut that proverbial suspension bridge's ropes and sent the pair falling. In _love_.

She smiled again as she praised herself for the clever metaphor. Whoever said the goddess of love and beauty couldn't be smart too?


	19. Realize

**~TAKE ME AWAY~**

***So I've been on midterm break for the past four days, and had time to write. Going back to school again tomorrow, which is a totally valid reason to cry. SOB. Special thanks to number1anime freak for all the reviews!***

**REALIZE  
**

"Are you okay? You look, seriously," Meyrin said, hesitantly, "like, _furious_." She strummed her fingers absent mindedly on the steering wheel as Shiho stepped into the passenger seat. The brunette had a stormy expression etched onto her features.

"Please; just drive, Meyrin."

"Oh. Is it that guy?" She nodded her head as she turned out of the drive.

"..."

"Sorry. Stupid question." Meyrin winced.

They drove for about twenty seconds in silence, before Shiho spoke again.

"No." The word was said without a trace of doubt evident in Shiho's voice.

"What?" Meyrin asked, confused.

"I mean; it's not his fault. I guess. It's never his fault."

"Come again?"

"It's never his fault," Shiho repeated. "It's my mistakes; always."

"No! It's not - "

"_Yes_, Meyrin, it _is_. I'm the one who just_ fails_ on an epic scale at _every damn aspect_ of being a parent."

"No - "

"I'm always making mistakes and he never makes any. I'm never going to be able to give Kris that. It's as simple as that." Her voice was empty of emotion, as if she were stating a math equation, and not the words that tore straight through her heart.

"Shiho, no - " Meyrin protested before she was cut off again.

"Tell me something: How do I ignore the fact that for the past three years of my life, all I ever did was try be perfect, always wondering if I was doing this right? Always wondering if I was adequate? _Knowing_ that I'd never be good enough as a parent, as...as...as anything! He's never done anything wrong! Ever! I'm always doubting everything I do, because I'll never be good enough! Yzak has only been there for her a fraction as long as I have, but he never does anything wrong! I never know what I should be doing, if what I'm doing is for the best, or..." her voice trailed off as she bit back on the dry, stinging sensation that comes before you cry.

"Stop. You're not solving anything with this. And you aren't doing anything wrong, Shiho! You're her mom _full time_, he isn't! The only mistake you're making is refusing to trust anyone!"

"..."

"I mean it, Shiho! You won't trust that guy even though I'm pretty sure he'd never do anything to deliberately hurt you_ or_ Kristinia. You won't trust him; hell, you won't even trust yourself."

oOoOoOo

"Look, Uncle Yzak!" They were stuck in four lanes of traffic, and the toddler had taken it upon herself to point out the city surroundings.

Yzak turned to look at Kristinia. His eyes followed the direction at which the little girl was pointing.

"Why is there a picture of my mommy up there?"

He closed his eyes for a moment, formulating an answer. "Your mommy is _very_ pretty, you know that, right?"

She giggled, happy with the new game. "Yes!"

"Well, lots of people know that. So they want to show everyone."

"Mhm?"

"So they take pictures and show lots of people."

"My mommy gets mad when I take pictures out of the photo album."

"No, like when they use their own pictures."

"Oh..."

"Exactly."

"Where's mommy now?"

"She's just spending some time with her friends."

"Okay. Uncle Yzak, can you make all the cars go away?"

"No, I can't do everything."

"That's a first." The little girl crossed her arms.

Yzak stifled a laugh. "What?"

"Grown ups are supposed to know everything. _Duh_."

"I'm going to tell you a secret, okay? But you have to promise to _never _tell."

"Okay," Kristinia said solemnly.

"We _don't _know everything. We just like to pretend we do."

"Pretty lame secret."

"It kind of is," Yzak said, nodding.


	20. The Beginning of the End

**~TAKE ME AWAY~  
**

***I would hug every one of you reviewers a million times if I could... Oh, and I was hearing Tik Tok (Ke$ha) all day (so it seems), so I'm not responsible for any mind-blowing randomness you might read next. Okay?***

**THE BEGINNING OF THE END**

"So where are we going?"

"Just shopping and then lunch," Lunamaria said nonchalantly. She had set herself up in the back seat of the car, kicked her bright pink sandals under the seat, and was now painting her nails an eye watering shade of neon orange.

"I don't like the 'shopping' bit very much."

"Shiho, if I ever gave you any impression that you had a choice, I'm very sorry for the confusion. Get over it." Lunamaria flicked a piece of magenta hair out of her eyes. It was still as short as ever.

"I hate shopping," Shiho said, knowing that this was one battle she would be losing. Well, if one thing could be said about Shiho Hahnenfuss, it would be that she did not give up without a fight.

"Get over it," Lunamaria repeated, blowing on her nails.

"No way."

"STOP IT!" Meyrin screamed. Since picking Lunamaria up from the shuttle port, she had been putting up with Lunamaria threatening serious makeover action. Shiho had fielded the threat quite well, but Meyrin had a feeling that her sister was one apple short of a fruit basket when it came to this issue. Meyrin would be getting an 'Extreme Makeover: Luna Edition' treatment whether she liked it or not.

"I LOVE THIS SONG!" Lunamaria screamed randomly, reaching between the front seats to turn the volume up.

"Ke$ha? Are you kidding me?" Meyrin said sceptically, raising an eyebrow.

"Hello?! It's party music! _Don't stop, make it pop, DJ blow my speakers up - _"

"SHUT UP!" Meyrin and Shiho yelled simultaneously. Neither of them could stand Lunamaria's off-key singing. Lunamaria was, well,_ Lunamaria_, but some things shouldn't be heard without proper ear protection.

Lunamaria then proceeded to thoroughly ignore them, and the two groaned and silently resigned themselves to another twenty minutes of pure torture.

"Shiho Hahnenfuss? I didn't know Miss Meyrin would be bringing you along! What a pleasant surprise! It's great to meet you!" Lacus Clyne said, beaming, offering her hand to a bewildered Shiho Hahnenfuss. Carefully, she took the pinkette's hand, and smiled.

"Nice to meet you too, Miss Clyne."

"Call me Lacus."

"I'm Miriallia Elsman," Miriallia introduced herself.

"So Dearka finally succeeded?" Shiho asked, without thinking.

"What? How - "

"Sorry," Shiho said, blushing. "I was in the army, and assigned to the same fleet as one Dearka Elsman. He constantly talked about 'Miriallia'. I guess that's you...small world?"

"Definitely," Miriallia said, smiling amiably. "How much did the moron annoy you guys then?"

"More than you'd like to know."

Shiho and Miriallia watched as Lacus hugged Meyrin and Lunamaria. Shiho assumed they knew each other from somewhere, though she couldn't imagine where.

"Where's Cagalli?" Miriallia asked.

"Oh! She called and said she couldn't make it today. Big meeting," Lacus answered.

"So we're all here, right? Let's get going," Miriallia said.

Shiho felt out of place. She fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat, and prodded her Caesar salad tentatively.

"So are you like, watching your weight?" Miriallia asked. Shiho jumped and took a moment to gather her thoughts.

"No, I guess I'm just not that hungry."

Lacus and Miriallia were friendly, but she had an increasing sense of high school nostalgia. She couldn't fit in as easily and Lunamaria and Meyrin could, as much as they invited her in.

And that's just about when all hell broke loose.


	21. For the Same Reasons

**~TAKE ME AWAY~**

***Sorry if some people seemed a little out of character. For that, here's an extra-long chapter. I kind of thought that Lunamaria, when out of military surroundings, would be an extroverted girlish person, and Lacus would still be the type to hug everyone and make friendship bracelets. Note: The italics section is Shiho reminiscing.***

**FOR THE SAME REASONS  
**

Shiho was very much a chameleon. She could seamlessly attach herself just about anywhere. There was the military, as a soldier. She had easily taken on the mantle of being in the fashion industry. Perhaps her success was creditable to the fact that she'd carved a public face for herself, something people wanted to see, and would accept. That face, that personality, was almost a different person. And yet; she was still accepted, because she belonged, and no one could prove otherwise. But that face was a mask that she could remove almost at will, and the strange thing was that without that mask, she could become unrecognizable, simply by how she carried herself.

But this situation, now, was one place that felt as alienating as writing with her other hand would be. There were very few places in which she looked like she didn't belong, and this was one of them. All the same, she could always pretend. She half listened as the other women at the table maintained their animated conversation, and she allowed her mind to wander, which is more or less the reason things had been thrown into chaos. Let's rewind a little to what Shiho had been thinking before her afternoon had been completely flushed down the toilet.

Coordinators were approximately three years ahead, mentally, of Naturals, until the age of about seventeen, when they pretty much evened out. True to this, the school systems had been adjusted, although the legal ages had stayed the same.

Kristinia had been going to kindergarten for the past three months, and it was this that Shiho had been thinking of. All things considering, Shiho had thought that she wouldn't be called in for a parent-teacher conference in the first month. Much less that the teacher, who barely looked old enough to be past high school age, would request "that both parents be present".

_"This is sort of ironic," Yzak said, an attempt to break the rigid silence. Shiho sat on the far side of the bench, at least a meter away from him. Shiho looked just about ready to get up, kick the classroom door open, and spear the kindergarten teacher to the blackboard with writing utensils. They were waiting outside Kristinia's classroom, and both had to admit that at 6 pm, the building looked downright ominous, despite the crayon drawings that wallpapered the halls. The first grade classrooms were perpendicular to the line of kindergarten classrooms, and currently, they were seated on a bench up against a wall, outside Kristinia's classroom. _

_"In what way__?"_

_"Kristinia beat the crap out of some other kid." At this, Shiho had to fight to retain her composure and keep from laughing.  
_

_"So?" she asked, her voice an octave higher.  
_

_"That's something you would have done in kindergarten, I guess."_

_"_Excuse _me? I_ wouldn't _have done that," Shiho defended.  
_

_"She told me it was because the boy called her a cow. Something tells me you wouldn't have taken that lying down, either," Yzak pointed out._

_"Maybe I would have done the same, but_ _honestly_, you_ would have been the one calling someone a cow in the first place."_

_"No. My mother raised me with some degree of respect for females."_

_"I find that hard to - "  
_

_Suddenly, the classroom door slammed open, bouncing off the wall ten centimetres away from Yzak's shoulder. A furious looking mother with contrastingly perky blonde curls stormed out, followed closely by her husband, who was apologising to the shocked, wide-eyed teacher. _

_"YOU!" the woman screeched, pointing a bright red fingernail at Shiho. Shiho had to remind herself that there was no way this crazy woman had any idea about who Shiho was; for one thing, she was wearing sunglasses, despite the time of the day, and her hair was braided down her back. _

_Shiho stood. She was almost a head taller than this insane blonde woman._

_Undeterred, the woman continued screaming."YOU ARE THE REASON MY SON IS WALKING AROUND WITH A BLACK EYE! HOW DO YOU LIVE WITH YOURSELF!!"_

_"I'm sure my daughter has done you a favour in the long run," Shiho said, her voice laced with venom. She was sure she looked like a real bitch, but she didn't really care.  
_

_Yzak grabbed her hand and dragged her into the classroom. She took a deep breath,trying to put it behind her. The teacher gestured, with pursed lips, at the knee-high table, and Shiho sat down on one of the small chairs. Yzak took one look at the kindergarten-sized furniture, and remained standing, his eyes daring the nervous-looking teacher to complain. The petite woman swallowed. She glanced at the register on her clipboard._

_"I think that went well," Shiho said, grimacing as they reached the parking lot of the elementary school-cum-kindergarten. They had walked side by side, thirty centimetres apart, for almost a full minute.  
_

_"Are you kidding? The woman is probably heading to a bottle of aspirin and a paper breathing bag right now," Yzak snorted. Shiho couldn't really help herself, she burst out laughing._

_It had never really occurred to her before; but she liked it a whole lot better when they were fighting for the same side. _

Shiho prided herself on her discretion. To date, the tabloids possessed a grand total of four photographed occasions were she had casually appeared in public. Unfortunately for her, although her disguise may have been effective if not under scrutiny, a reporter eating lunch at the same restaurant had seen Lacus, and had called his boss, who had sent paparazzi, who had led others.

Almost like a wave, they had appeared surrounding the restaurant. They were barred from coming in, at least. It didn't take long for them to start piecing together who Chairwoman Lacus was with.

When Shiho had take off her sunglasses to read the menu, she'd left them off, and it hadn't taken the paparazzi long to figure out who she was, and the camera flashes had intensified.

"Oh, shit," Lacus swore. Everyone except Shiho stared at her. They had never heard the pinkette so much as say 'darn it', and they had their backs to the commotion outside. Lacus stared pointedly at the hoard of people with cameras, and they all turned.

Shiho was frozen. She fumbled with her wallet, slapped the amount her salad had cost down on the table, and made a run for the restaurant's toilets. She locked herself in the bathroom stall.

She would never, _ever _get used to the press. So far, she had successfully avoided them interfering with her personal life. She heard the bathroom door creak open, and then, Meyrin knocked on the door.

"Shiho, you know they won't leave you alone. Lacus and Miriallia got out, they said it was nice meeting you, and they understand. Luna is waiting for us. We might have to barge out."

oOoOoOo

"What's happening there?" Yzak asked, to no one in particular. He had no idea that he and Kristinia had walked into the exact same mall that Shiho and her friends had chosen.

"Chairwoman Lacus Clyne is there, and so is Shiho Hahnenfuss, apparently," a woman with a stroller said, pointing at the restaurant. "If you ask me, people just get no privacy these days. Poor dears, they're probably stuck in there."

"Thanks."

Kristinia tugged his hand. "Uncle Yzak, mommy's in there, right?"

"Yes," he said.

He headed for the crowd of paparazzi, and pushed through to the entrance of the restaurant. A freakishly tall waitress was standing guard.

"I'm sorry, sir, no one is allowed in right now," she said flatly, crossing her arms.

"Do you have any idea who I am?!" he barked.

The waitress was having a little bit of a dilemma. She knew who he was, alright, he was on the goddamned _council_, but her manager had said not to let anyone in...but then again, he _had _said the publicity the restaurant was getting for this was fantastic, so a little more publicity couldn't hurt, could it?

She stepped aside. "Make it quick."


	22. Silence is Everything

**~TAKE ME AWAY~**

***Give or take two chapters left, including this one. Might write an epilogue depending on demand. Please review, I'm having self-esteem issues. :) PS. Forgive me for the single solitary four-letter swear word. Couldn't think of a better way to say it.***

**SILENCE IS EVERYTHING**

"You totally set this up," Athena accused, gesturing at the legions of paparazzi crowded around a restaurant. The noise was so loud she could have yelled and no one would have heard.

"Prove it," Aphrodite said, applying a layer of lipstick so very _pink _it could have passed for solidified pepto bismol. Clearly uncaring of the wisdom goddess's furious gaze.

"I don't freaking need to. This is all your fault." Athena paused. She looked up to the mall's skylight. "You hear that Zeus! It's always her fault, and she always just batts her eyelashes and gets off scott-free. I'm sick of! Sick of it! Sick of being put on babysitting duty! You think I'd be pestering her if you hadn't ordered me too?!"

"Calm down, Athy. Daddy doesn't really like back chat."

"Fuck this, I'm going home," Athena spat, disappearing into the crowd.

"Well," Aphrodite said, to no one in particular. "I think it's out of my hands now. My work here is done."

oOoOoOo

_We could always walk outside. Or in this cornered position, crowd-surf or something. _For maybe the tenth time that day, Shiho felt like slapping herself. _It doesn't really get much worse._

She was leaning against the tiled bathroom wall, next to the hand dryer thing. She'd never really bothered to learn the name of those things...

"So do we just wait this out?" Lunamaria said. From apparently nowhere, she'd produced a bottle of metallic blue nail polish and was now painting her nails accordingly. Shiho hadn't been able to fathom the kind of person who carried around five flavours (or whatevers) of nail polish _just in case._

"Could be a while," Meyrin said. She was sitting on the marble counter top, between sinks, and scribbling down lyrics of a new song. She tapped her pencil on the wire spiral of the notebook's binding.

"I'm sorry I dragged you guys down with me," Shiho apologized. "If we go out there, I'm telling you they'll hound you and it won't stop if they know where you live." Shiho winced. "Personal experience. Remember Meyrin? We had to move to a new PLANT last time."

"No worries," Lunamaria said breezily. "Being chased by paparazzi? I'm just kind of mad that Meyrin won't let me go outside and give an impromptu photo shoot."

"Luna, you are so ostent - " Meyrin began, before the bathroom door was pushed open. A loud squeal.

"AUNT LUNA!" Kristinia hugged the shocked girl's legs.

"Kris, what?"

Kristinia looked up, spotted her mother, and said, beaming, "Hey mommy. Uncle Yzak says get the heck out of here. Guess what else, mommy? We found you guys and we were totally not looking. Random, right?" Kristinia turned her attention back to Lunamaria.

"Nice to see you again, kiddo," Lunamaria said, setting her nail polish and make up bag down. She bent down and hugged the three year old. "Wait," Lunamaria said, looking up at Shiho. "Who the hell is - "

"Don't, Luna, _please_," Shiho said, her eyes pleading.

Meyrin closed her notebook, and said, "Shiho, Luna and I can make it of here alive. We'll just hang around and order a milkshake or something. You go with Kris and him, I'm sure he can give you a ride. We'll catch up with you later, okay?"

"Thanks, Aunt Meyrin!" Kristinia said, relinquishing hold of Lunamaria's legs to go hug Meyrin's.

"What are you still standing here for then?" Lunamaria said, crossing her arms and glaring at Shiho playfully.

_Waiting. For something, I don't know_, _like a miracle, maybe? Either way, this may as well be a death sentence._

"You really _can_ have your stupid moments, can't you?" Shiho said wearily, turning to face Yzak, who was standing a short distance away from the bathroom door.

"Excuse me? I'm here to bust you out of this death trap. Don't I get any thanks whatsoever?"

"Yeah, yeah, thanks. Am I hallucinating? - Don't answer that - Hell no. Point is: what's going to happen now? The tabloids! Don't you see the cameras?"

"Let it go. You're starting to babble."

Shiho picked Kristinia up, and propped the little girl up on her hip. "Okay, _genius. _What's the plan?"

He smiled; a rare thing, considering. "Well, I figure that no matter what happens now, it can't possible make the situation worse."

"So?"

"So," he began. "We charge straight through them."

oOoOoOo

"THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CHOOSING OUR RESTAURANT!" a blonde waitress yelled after them. Yzak tightened his grip on Shiho's waist.

"Just keep your head down," he whispered. And they ran through the sea of camera-wielding people. They ran until they reached the the underground parking. They were definitely pursued, but neither adult had wasted time looking back. Kristinia had, however, confusedly, peeked over her mother's shoulder a few times, before the camera-flashes became too annoying.

Yzak fumbled in his pocket for his car keys with one hand.

They reached his car, and Shiho had Kristinia strapped into the back seat in record time, before leaping into the passenger seat. Yzak reversed out of the parking spot, and accelerated out, just in time to see various paparazzi about twenty meters behind. The occupants of the car remained silent.

Shiho slumped in her seat as soon as they reached the freeway. "Thank god. But jeez, the magazines are going to have a field day with this."

"Mom, what's a field day?"

"Basically it's like, I guess, people making a big deal out of something."

"Mommy, I don't get it. People take pictures of you all the time, so why is now such a big deal?"

"You know how mad you got when I took a picture of you with the chocolate milk moustache? It's kind of like that."

"Oh."

A few minutes passed.

"Thank you, Yzak. I mean it."

"Don't mention it."

Shiho risked a smile. "Well, even if I don't, I guess _they_ will."

Neither had said anything in the minutes that passed, and even Kristinia had quietly nodded off in the back seat. But silence says a lot more.

Shyly, Shiho slowly touched Yzak's free hand. Gingerly, she curled her fingers around his. Yzak hesitated, then gripped her hand tightly.

For the first time since that rainy day half a year ago, the silence between them wasn't one strung with tension or anger. It was like they'd reached a comfortable median, somewhere they both fit, where there was little need for words.


	23. Take Me Away

**~TAKE ME AWAY~**

***This is the final chapter. It includes and excerpt from Natasha Bedingfield's Pocketful of Sunshine, and personally, I think it ties in quite nicely with the story title and theme. If you'd like me to write an epilogue then please review before the end of March 2010 and tell me this, otherwise this story is officially completed and that's that.***

**TAKE ME AWAY  
**

"You were absolutely right," Yzak remarked casually, as he sorted through a pile of gossip magazines that had been printed that very morning. He leaned back in his seat on the couch. It was past six, and a Sunday, and he couldn't quite bring himself to leave. Most magazines on the PLANTs had pulled an all-nighter and replaced their main articles, and Yzak was now sifting through them.

"I'm not going to argue with that logic, but _do_ elaborate," Shiho replied, not even looking up from her paperback book. She sat on an adjacent couch, and Kristinia was sprawled on the carpet, totally absorbed in watching The Lion King for the third time that night.

"It's only been a day, and there are about thirteen different speculations courtesy of thirty-eight different magazines," Yzak responded.

"..." Shiho's eyes clearly stated what her voice didn't. _And your _point _is?_

" '_Yesterday, on Saturday the nineteenth, we received information and pictures regarding non other than the publicly-reclusive Shiho Hahnenfuss. Originally, our investigations were aimed at Chairwoman Lacus Clyne, who had actually been dining at an Italian restaurant situated in the November 6 Zodiac Mall Complex. Of course, we had not been expecting her companions to the Heidi Klum of the Cosmic Era and three unidentified females. _

_Miss Hahnenfuss, on realising she was being photographed, had retreated into the restaurant and we were barred from entering. However, our luck was far from out, as we spotted Councilman Yzak Joule with a child in tow, pictured left. On further studies, we have determined that the unidentified girl bears a striking resemblance to Councilman Joule himself. _

_The two entered the restaurant, and emerged with none other than Shiho Hahnenfuss herself. Pictured below is the odd group fleeing the restaurant, and pictured right is the Mystery Child. Based on further, though inconclusive, studying of basic genealogical traits, we have made a rough assumption that perhaps the two, a public icon and a political figurehead, have a whole lot more in common than he general public has thought. They have yet to release a public statement.' _" Yzak snorted. "And that is just a _scraping_ off the tip of the iceberg."

"Kate called earlier today, and had a 'freak out' minute before I could get a word in edgewise. She started yelling at me in German. _German! _Sure, our family is German, but we only ever learnt to speak it because it was a high school requirement! It's just a matter of time before, and these are _your _words, your 'control freak' mother decides that you need yelling at, and God knows whatever the hell - "

"I assume that whatever issues my mother may have with me, I am still a legal adult, and have been for some time."

"You're still quite immature. You get mad so easily."

"Not with you or Kris."

"And that alone is a miracle, something I'm sure I would have regarded as beyond impossible about four years ago."

"You really do enjoy tap dancing on people's nerves, don't you?" Yzak said, raising eyebrow at the brunette.

"Nope. It's more like clog dancing," Shiho said, folding a corner of her page down, and setting her book down.

"I have nothing else to say."

"There's a first," Shiho said dryly as she leaned over to grab a magazine from the pile.

"You kill me with your sarcastic remarks."

"Good; then it's working."

After a few more minutes, their playful banter subsided. And like yesterday, they found themselves seeking out contact with the other. Like yesterday, none of them had felt the need to say anything. They had all the time in the world to talk.

When there isn't a need for words, there are little things that say a lot. And one of those things said, quite clearly, that they would make it through this, together.

_Take me away, a secret place_

_A sweet escape..._

_Take me away;_

_Take me away._

* * *

**I owe a lot of people for all the inspiration behind this fanfic, and I am eternally grateful to the Avril Lavigne song for which this story was named. I thank all the brilliant songs and their art****ists, because** **they make the world so much better. I would like to say that in no way or form do I benefit financially from publishing this fanfic, and I claim no rights to anything except my writing and my plot. Please refrain from plagiarising in this regard.**

* * *

**And now, in no particular order, I'd like to thank all the reviewers who have helped me along the way in the writing of this story. Thanks to: Decoding Blue; BravoSierra; Isuzu Hime; Emerald Leviney; Rickrolled; mehj; princess cythera; Tynuccia; ViciousBlueSummers; number1animefreak; Mathiasosx; and Latias 24. Also, thanks to my anonymous reviewers: me; mr some one; uvr-B1u5h'd; star girll; snow bunny; and bubble. Thank you for your time and feedback. I never really felt like I'd want to hug a lot of people more than I do now.**

**

* * *

**

**Please pay a visit to my fansite for Shiho and Yzak! Here is the URL(Just delete the spaces between the characters):** h t t p : / / s h i h o x y z a k . w e b s . c o m /

* * *

**AND REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK OF THIS STORY. I REALLY APPRECIATE ANY AND ALL FEEDBACK.**


	24. Epilogue: Kristinia

**~TAKE ME AWAY~**

***I love you, reviewers...well, as requested, here is the epilogue. Little twist, though. First section in italics; Kristinia has something to say, too, and not as a three year old. Time jump! Then it's really over. You haven't seen the last of me, though. An AsuCaga, AU fic is in the making. And not a fic where Athrun's portrayed as an out of character jerk-with-a-heart-of-gold-if-you look-deep. And it's not a high school fic either. So please stay tuned...XD***

**EPILOGUE: KRISTINIA**

_My family is weird. There. I said it. Seventeen years in existence, and I still don't know how to put it tactfully. But either way, I said it. Or, rather, thought it. For one, there's my dad. My dad has anger issues, to an extent. But if I had to judge by how he treated me and my mom, I'd never guess it. But based on how he scared all the new ZAFT recruits practically shitless last year and the year before, for orientation, I'd say he's more than capable of being scary when he wants to be. Another thing about my dad: apparently, I used to refer to him as 'Uncle Yzak', due to my then complicated family dynamics. Even though I don't remember ever calling him anything other than 'dad' and 'Councilman Joule'._

_The latter, of course, I used when he stopped by at the ZAFT academy grounds. I am a ZAFT academy student, and seeing as my dad is in charge of all things military on the PLANTs, I'm not allowed to call him anything else in military surroundings. Don't get me wrong, there's no rule or anything, and I have a great relationship with my dad, but I'd just rather people know I earned my military accomplishments on my own. Not that I'd ever been favoured here at the military for any reason. If anything, the drill sergeants are harder on me. Alex and Jake laugh about that a lot. They're best friends, even though they hardly see each other. Who are Alex and Jake? Oh, right. Very much my other-mother-brothers._

_Our parents are friends; although, in the case of Alex's dad, Mr Zala, and my dad, perhaps just a grudging respect. Alex is thirteen, and I swear to God; he's plotting world domination through mischief or something. I don't know what he spends his free time doing; but it can't be anything for the good of society. He's polite, I guess, but there's always some prank or other he's planning. His mother, Mrs Cagalli, says she can't wait to ship him off to military school, although you can tell she loves him, and his eight year old sister, Tara, a lot. But back to all the general trouble he causes in some way or another. He did try and prank me once, too, though. Emphasis on once. That, however, is a tale of revenge I'd rather not discuss right now. Although, I'll never forget the satisfaction of tying him to the back of a school bus...but there's no hard feelings or anything. His main partner in crime would be Jake, although he doesn't get half as involved as Alex does._

_Jake's fourteen, and it's hard to say: would he help Alex take over the world? Or the likelier case; would he get distracted by that one Megan Fox poster and be induced to a drooling stupor?_

_I fidget nervously on my chair. I'm finally graduating from the ZAFT academy. After two years of military school, and getting vacations only for summer and midterm breaks, I just want to graduate, and then do maybe two more years of military service. After that, I don't exactly know how I'd function without some kind of giant war machine in my life, but I'm planning to get a degree in engineering so I can pursue that. I loved it when my mom took me to the mobile suit storage bay last vacation. I got to test pilot my mom's old CGUE D.E.E.P. ARMS. It's great that it's still around, it runs great. Mom says that dad got the GAT X102-DUEL (that I've heard so much about) scrapped on the battlefield, so for all I know, parts of it could be making up an asteroid or something. I love watching my parents tease each other about that, mainly because mom usually owns in pretty much every battle of every kind._

_About my mom: she used to be a ZAFT pilot. She fought in both wars; so did my dad. But she left the military after the Second War to have me. How she and my dad got back together again? That's another story. But back to my mom. It's impossible to say I've ever been embarrassed by her, in pretty much any way, actually. She's everything you'd ever want to be, but being around her, you'd never feel inadequate or anything. From her side of the family, I get Aunt Kate, and our extended family, Aunt Meyrin and Aunt Luna. Oh, and Uncle Shinn. Luna got married about five years ago. Hard to remember since I don't see her all that often. Anyway. From my dad, I get Grandma Ezalia, although she doesn't look like a grandmother much. She's a fairly pleasant, although strict, fifty-something year old woman. And by 'strict', I mean, with my dad. I wonder if, when Grandma Ezalia says that 'No man can control Yzak Joule', she means that dad bows down to nobody but his mother and his wife, who are both women._

_My parents are an odd match, and believe me, this is the general public's opinion. People left me alone at school after that shock scenario-thing when the world got introduced to my existence, which suited me just fine, but high school was difficult to get through, because all of a sudden, I'd gotten no privacy. At least it was over quickly._

_Normal coordinators my age would already be halfway to a doctorate or something by now, because we'd graduate high school at fifteen, and then be off to college. I don't regret the military at all, I love the structure and the challenges, and piloting mobile suits, and, well, everything. Though I guess my dad would rather I didn't attend it in the first place, but I wanted to do something for myself. Besides; it's not as if we're on the brink of war or anything. Well, there have been random bursts of Blue Cosmos reformation attempts, but ZAFT has been really prompt in stamping them out quickly. Mrs Cagalli and Mrs Lacus are doing a great job at keeping the peace._

_I glance up at my mother. She's sitting in the third row of the overly-air conditioned auditorium; I'm sitting on the enormous stage in a moulded plastic chair, along with one hundred or so other graduates of this year. My father is standing at the weird podium thing, reciting the ten page long ZAFT mission statement. He does this every year; and I wonder if he ever gets tired of it._

_"...and to uphold the ZAFT council, to commit to excellence, and to..."_

_I catch my mother's eye; she smiles. Grandma Ezalia, sitting next to her, waves madly._

_And then...what I've been waiting for all day._

_It takes a few geological ages to get to my name on the list._

_Then..._

_The top five. The red coat pilots. Oh...my...not God._

_"Michaels, Adrian. St Clair, Jack. Levett, Tanya. McBride, Alison. And top in the class of Cosmic Era 91; Kristinia Joule."  
_

oOoOoOo

"So you're a red coat now, princess?"

The brunette smiled and turned around. "Rey La Flaga, someday, I will skin you alive."

"Aw, you couldn't do that," Rey said passively, grinning widely.

"What makes you so confident?"

"You love me too much."

"Don't flatter your - "

"Don't I get a hello? Or a 'Gee, you came all the way up from Orb, I will love you forever?"

"You don't change much, do you?"

Shiho Hahnenfuss-Joule watched from a distance. Of course, they were celebrating Kristinia's success. She couldn't find Yzak anywhere, and had settled herself at a circular table, comfortably watching the surrounding celebrations.

Of course, the La Flagas had been invited; they'd been introduced maybe a decade ago. Shiho was never quite sure how to tell their twins apart simply on appearance; they shared the same characteristics of pale blonde hair and blue eyes; atypical of their family; but she had learned to distinguish between the two as Rey being the outgoing one who would seek Kristinia out at every opportunity; and Shane being the one who carried a laptop everywhere (Shiho had honestly never heard the boy speak; he and Rey were eighteen next month).

She watched and tried to fill in the blanks; she couldn't hear their dialogue.

"It seems you've either been ignoring me all day, or I've been unintentionally doing so to you. Want to dance?"

Shiho smiled and without hesitating; took the silver haired coordinator's hand.

_Nobody's given a happy ending; it's all more or less a matter of finding a balance that you make for yourself._


End file.
